Airlines 'vilified' over environmental issues

The aviation industry is being unfairly singled out for criticism from climate change activists, the CEO of one of Europe's first carbon-neutral airlines has claimed.

Writing on CNN's Going Green blog, Jet Republic boss Jonathan Breeze said the sector gets little credit for the "great strides" it has made towards environmental sustainability.

He noted that aviation presently accounts for just 3.5 per cent of global greenhouse emissions, with jet fuel efficiency improving by 60 per cent over the past three decades.

Several airlines also offset 100 per cent of their carbon emissions – in Jet Republic's case through a partnership with environmental charity ClimateCare.

And yet despite the green credentials of many carriers, Mr Breeze said the sector is often depicted as "one of the bad guys" in debates about global warming.

"Practically everything we do in our everyday lives has a carbon cost attached to it," the CEO wrote. "But aviation is an element that we believe has come in for an undue level of criticism, when in fact it is arguably working harder than most industries to address the issue of climate change."

Alluding to so-called green taxes – such as the widely opposed Air Passenger Duty, or APD (see related story) – Mr Breeze insisted that they undermine advancements in the sector.

He warned: "Punitive taxation, which is driving up the cost of air travel, will ultimately end up being absorbed by the operator or by passengers. This ... represents a significant threat to progress in the aviation industry as it could lead to a stifling of innovation and development."

Jet Republic launched last September and has placed a $1.5 billion (£932 million) order for 110 Learjet 60XR planes – the most energy-efficient mid-size jets in the world.

© Cheapflights Ltd

Comments

[Malcolm]

I wholeheartedly agree with this view. Climate change is just being used as a 'bogeyman' to increase taxation which then disappears into the usual black hole.